Earclip

ABSTRACT

AN EARCLIP FOR USE IN EARRINGS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A PAIR OF PIVOTALLY CONNECTED MEMBERS, EACH OF WHICH HAS A PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE OPPOSITE SIDES OF A WEARER&#39;&#39;S LOBE TO EFFECT A CLAMPING GRIP THEREON, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS HAVING A PAIR OF INTERGAL PINTLES IN ALIGNMENT WITH BUT SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, AND THE OTHER MEMBER HAVING A ROLLED PORTION EXTENDING AROUND SAID PINTLES TO EFFECT THE AFORESAID PIVOTAL CONNECTION, SAID PINTLES TO SAID ROLLED PORTION BEING CONFIGURED AND DIMENSIONED SO THAT A FRICTIONAL DRAG IS IMPARTED AS ONE MEMBER IS PIVOTED WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER, SAID FRICTIONAL DRAG SERVING TO MAINTAIN SAID MEMBERS IN ANY DIRED POSITION OF ADJUSTMENT.

March 9, 1971 A. R. SACCOCCIQ ET AL EARCLIP Filed Aug. '18, 1969 FIG.I

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FIGS

8 R0 m mm C m m V E N S AS U .H R PMM N OY HR mm AHWU ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,568,271 EARCLIP Anthony R. Saccoccio, 30 St. Marys Drive, Cranston, RI. 02910, and Henry P. Husserl, Providence, R.I.; said Husserl assignor to said Saceoccio Filed Aug. 18, 1969, Ser. No. 850,986 Int. Cl. A44c 7/00 U.S. Cl. 24-248 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An earclip for use in earrings and the like comprising a pair of pivotally connected members, each of which has a portion adapted to engage opposite sides of a Wearers lobe to effect a clamping grip thereon, one of said members having a pair of integral pintles in alignment with but spaced from each other, and the other member having a rolled portion extending around said pintles to effect the aforesaid pivotal connection, said pintles and said rolled portion being configured and dimensioned so that a frictional drag is imparted as ,one member is pivoted with respect to the other, said frictional drag serving to maintain said members in any desired position of adjustment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This is a modification of the invention disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 754,547 filed Aug. 22, 1968, now Pat. No. 3,462,808 issued Aug. 26, 1969.

Earclips involving a swingable clamping arm are old and well known in the art; but traditionally clips of this type, known in the art as pressure clips, are spring loaded, whereupon the clamping arm resiliently grips the ear lobe of the wearer. Earclips of this type have been found to have many disadvantages. First of all, the spring pressure of the clamping arm against the wearers lobe frequently causes discomfort and pain to the wearer. On the other hand, after repeated usage, the spring loaded clip frequently loses its resiliency, whereupon the clip does not securely engage the wearers lobe. Attempts have been made to overcome these problems by providing spring loaded pressure clips wherein the spring tension can be adjusted, but these attempts have been only partially successful and, furthermore, result in an earclip that is more complicated and expensive to manufacture.

Applicants aforesaid copending application shows a pressure clip that involves the same basic concept as the instant invention but differs in that the clip disclosed therein embodies three basic components, namely, the mounting bracket, the swingable clamping arm, and the shaft that is nonrotatably supported by the bracket and that pivotally receives the clamping arm. Although this prior clip of applicants has proven satisfactory in 0peration, from a manufacturing standpoint certain disadvantages exist. First of all, three separate parts have to be manufactured; and, secondly, the assembly operation of these parts does not readily lend itself to automatic machinery, and particularly the assembly of the shaft to its mounting bracket.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The instant invention relates to an earclip comprising only two parts, namely, a first part having a pair of integral pintles in alignment with but spaced from each other, and a second part having a rolled portion that extends around the pintles to efiect the desired pivotal connection between the parts. Said pintles and said rolled portion are configured and dimensioned so that a frictional drag is imparted as the parts pivot with respect to each 3,568,271 Patented Mar. 9, 1971 other, which frictional drag serves to releasably maintain the parts in any desired position of relative adjustment. Since no separate shaft member is employed as in applicants aforesaid copending application, there are only two basic components in the instant clip, which components readily and economically lead themselves to automatic manufacture and assembly.

It is therefore a primary object of the instant invention to provide an earclip wherein the clamping arm movessmoothly and without excessive pressure being applied thereto, but wherein the clamping arm is nevertheless maintained in any desired position of adjustment by frictional interaction between the clamping arm and the pintles on which it is mounted.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an earclip that may be easily adjusted by the wearer to a position of maximum comfort but which, when so positioned, will remain firmly in place on the Wearers lobe.

A further object is the provision of an earclip embodying only two working parts, thus resulting in a COIl? struction that is economically feasible to manufacture and assemble.

Another object is the provision of an earclip of the character described that is durable and effective in use and which, if desired, may be of relatively small construction, thus enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the device.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an earclip constructed in accordance with the instant invention in operative position on a wearers lobe;

FIG. 2 shows the earclip of FIG. 1 in open position;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the two members that make up the instant clip;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, showing the relative positions of the members during assembly;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, showing the earclip in the same position as shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 66 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, an earclip constructed in accordance with the instant invention is shown generally at 10 and comprises a first member or bracket shown generally at 12 and a second member or clamping arm shown generally at 14. Both the bracket 12 and the clamping arm 14 are of metallic construction, although for reasons hereinafter to be set forth, one of the elements is constructed of a harder metal than the other. Thus, for example, the clamping arm might be constructed of steel or nickel silver and the bracket of brass, or vice versa.

As will be noted, the bracket 12 comprises an elongate wire-like portion 16 having a mounting disc 18 at one I provided with a pair of spaced, substantially parallel lugs 28, each of which integrally carries a pintle member 30. As will be seen most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 6, the pintles 30 are actually cup-like projections that extend integrally and inwardly from the lugs 28, said pintles being in alignment with each other but being in spaced relation. Each of the pintles 30 has a fiat portion 32, said flat portions 32 being in alignment with each other and generally corresponding to the aforesaid flat portion 24 on bracket 12.

It will be understood that clamping arm 14 is pivotally connected to bracket 12 by virtue of the fact that the rolled portion 22 of the latter surrounds pintles 30 of the former. With the parts so assembled, movement of the clamping arm with respect to the bracket will result in a frictional drag being imparted. This is because the distance from flat 24 to the diametrically opposite point of rolled portion 22 is less than the diameter of the circular portion of the pintles 30. Thus, as the clamping arm is rotated with respect to'the pintles, the rolled portion of the bracket will frictionally grip the pintles, this frictional grip being further enhanced by the fact that rolled portion 22 has some degree of resiliency due to the fact that the rolled portion does not form a completely closed loop. This resiliency is enhanced by the use of a metal such as brass, it being further noted that the aforedescribed relative hardness of the bracket and clamping arm will result in less wear on the parts. It will be obvious that the extent of frictional drag that exists when clamping arm 14 is moved is dependent upon the relative configurations and dimensions of rolled portion 22 and pintles 30; and by making a slightly larger fiat on the pintles and on the rolled portion, or by using a rolled portion that has greater strength and less resilience, a greater degree of friction will exist.

In assembling the clamping arm 14 to bracket 12, the lugs 28 are preferably bent toward each other and into rolled portion 22 until the lugs 28 are substantially parallel with respect to each other and the pintles 30 are positioned within the said rolled portion. In order to facilitate this assembly operation, the flats 32 on pintles 30 are aligned with the'flat 24 on rolled portion 22, as shown in FIG. 4, in which relative position the pintles may freely and easily slide into the said rolled portion. The fact that pintles 30 are an integral part of clamping arm 14 and that, therefore, no separate shaft member is involved makes automatic assembly of the clamping arm and bracket a relatively easy and economically feasible procedure, this procedure being further facilitated by proper alignment of the flats 24 and 32 during the assembly operation, as aforedescribed.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. An earclip comprising a pair of pivotally connected members, each of which has a portion adapted to engage opposite sides of a wearers lobe to effect a clamping grip thereon, one of said members having a pair of substantially parallel spaced lugs, each of which has an aligned integral inwardly extending pintle, said other member having a rolled portion extending around said pintles to effect the aforesaid pivotal connection between said members, said pintles having a cross dimension larger than a cross dimension of said rolled portion whereby a frictional drag is imparted as said members pivot with respect to each other, said frictional drag serving as the sole means for maintaining said members in any desired position of adjustment with respect to each other.

2. In the earclip of claim 1, said pintles terminating in spaced relation with respect to each other.

3. In the earclip of claim 1, said pintles each being in the form of a cup-like projection formed from said lugs,

4. In the earclip of claim 1, each of said members being of metal construction, one of said members being con- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,979,375 11/1934 Fielding 63-l4CUX 2,012,401 8/1935 Placco 63-l4D 2,635,318 4/1953 Gloss 24-248E DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 63-14 

